Martinez Launches Ambitious Plan To Make Waterfront A Destination

MARTINEZ, CA — Martinez Mayor Brianne Zorn said it's not just talk. Not this time. Martinez is redeveloping a waterfront that will become a regional draw.

"It's no secret the marina was originally built decades and decades ago, in partnership between the city and the state, and there were a lot of outstanding loans and agreements and all sorts of stuff that didn't really work out as anticipated," Zorn said recently on a sunny Monday morning, just down the levee trail from the harbormaster's office.

"So as time wore on, there was no incentive for anyone to invest because everyone owed everybody else money," Zorn said. "This time around, we have finally started to get some inroads with negotiation. We finally have, in my opinion, 100% support from the City Council. There's none of this, 'Is this the right answer or not?'"

The mayor said, "Everyone's on board with supporting the marina and the waterfront."

On Sept. 6, the City Council got a look at what's being called the Waterfront Marina Trust Land Use Plan. Zorn couldn't name a definitive price because the city is working hard at getting money from outside sources, and the plan will be done in phases, which not coincidentally, will likely be how the money comes.

But the determination to see it through seems there this time, even if both the draft plan and Zorn said it could be as high as $120 million if everything is included.

The waterfront, on the northern tip of Contra Costa County, looks large from the nearby Benicia-Martinez Bridge.

Then once you're in town, there is a looming refinery nearby and oil tankers lurking in the vicinity. Being the county seat, there's a lot going on downtown. It's easy to assume the area out by the water is mostly industrial wasteland. There's only one main access, and it's slim crossing over train tracks.

But once inside the area, the possibilities seem numerous. The shoreline area slated for redevelopment encompasses 70 acres in three parts: the marina, a portion of North Court Street, and the area near Martinez Yacht Club and the Eagle Marine vessel repair business.

The marina includes 332 boat slips, a park, open space and a few marine-related businesses.

Another 65 acres of trust land, held by the East Bay Regional Park District and leased to the city, includes bocce courts and Joe DiMaggio Field (home of the semi-pro Martinez Sturgeon baseball team), trails and a horse arena.

Some of the land is the city's and some is the state's, which would have to approve much of the plan.

There are more than 300 acres to the west, also EBRPD land, including wetlands of the Radke Martinez Regional Shoreline running to the hills of Franklin Ridge about 750 feet above the idyllic scene.

Camp Hope, a homeless area run by former city councilmember Noralea Gipner at the John Muir Amphitheater, is gone as most of the residents were moved into housing.

The old Martinez fishing pier remains, even though a portion of it has been closed to the public because of safety concerns. The boat berths aren't near full capacity, as most of the empty ones are framed by rotting wood.

Nevertheless, the parking lot is nearly packed on a Monday morning. People are fishing, hiking, flying kites, and walking dogs in the vast open space.

Murray Bishop is a 30-year Martinez resident who walks his dog every morning along the waterfront. He called the area "an incredible resource."

"They're trying to make progress. I was down here the other week and there were two soccer games going on, a baseball game, there were horses up there and the parking lots were full. We're really fortunate to have that available. And anything that would improve that is something I would fully support," Bishop said.

The locals know all about the waterfront. But there are only so many locals. The city of Martinez wants to change the area to attract more people.

"As long as they don't change a lot of it because this waterfront is beautiful," said Martinez resident Kalama Schreiner, another frequent area dogwalker. He said he welcomes the idea of getting more people to the waterfront in the evening.

"It really is beautiful. I think maybe the refineries keep some regional people out of here," Schreiner said. "But it's certainly a great place to walk and great place to enjoy or even just sit and watch the water and watch the ships go by."

Zorn said there's plenty of support to make it better.

"We have the community, we have the emotional wherewithal from the people who live here," Zorn said. "So now we need to do is deliver on, you know, some of the infrastructure and I think it'll just, it'll put us back on the map."

The water part of the plan, done with outside planners and with public input, includes the $2.5 million phase already happening to renovate the fishing pier. There will also be a complete redesign and reengineering of the eastern seawall and breakwater, the funding for which the city has already applied.

The plan includes a marina village with a promenade, connecting visitors to the other waterfront amenities like "enhanced maritime recreation opportunities, an educational and events center, and expanded regional trail network through an area of restored tidelands."

There will be a restaurant, cafe, bait shop, and an education center, plus a community stage and an expansion of the existing skate park, additional picnic areas, tidal wetland restoration to the east, and augmented access across the railroad. There has also been talk of a pop-up fish market during commercial fishing season.

Among the possibilities include kayak launches and other human-powered craft opportunities.
Zorn said she's a kayaker, and that the fact Martinez isn't a part of the San Francisco Bay Water Trail area "is a major miss. And so that's something that's really important to me."

The Pacheco Marsh renovation project, just to the east on the other side of the bridge, will have three kayak launches. Project planners have said they want to connect kayakers to future launches in Martinez.

"This whole area here involves ways for human powered boats to access the water in ways for us to engage the tidal marsh by having like a proper trail and bridges and everything. So, I'm really excited," Zorn said.

The opened-up wetlands, connected directly to the Carquinez Strait, would have elevated boardwalks, viewing decks and a picnic area within the tideland.

Everything would be constructed with sea level rise in mind. There's also the possibility of ferry or water taxi service, though that's a decision farther down the road, Zorn said.

The mayor was asked whether the ambitious plans indicate the city in better financial health.

"I don't necessarily know if financial health is necessarily the reason we work doing it," Zorn said. "I think it's more the capacity of city staff to actually go after sources of funding to do this work.

Before we didn't even go after these kinds of grants. There was just a bunch of missed opportunities or money left on the table, that kind of thing. And now we have all the right people doing all the right things they're supposed to be doing."

The city is using all its allotted $9 million in American Rescue Plan Act federal stimulus money on the waterfront. It also got $2.6 million in federal money for the fishing pier.

City officials are aware connecting to nearby downtown business is also important -- the plan acknowledges a possible pedestrian bridge over the railroad tracks -- as is the support of business owners.

Corey Katz, owner of the Brix and Craft restaurant and bar, said a regional draw helps everyone downtown.

"Doing just a handful of events doesn't make businesses want to stay," Katz said. "Martinez needs to learn how to market outside Martinez. They support us within Martinez, but there's only so many people in Martinez."

Katz said he's 100 percent confident in the new people pushing for a regional drawing waterfront in both the city and the chamber of commerce.

"The new thing is to make Martinez a destination," Katz said. "Saturday afternoons are dead in Martinez. Wouldn't it be great to have people coming here? Building that marina is going to be lifesaving for many."

"We're in the new age of getting things done and I'm so happy to be part of Martinez," he said.

The full project will take years. There are regulatory bodies that need to be satisfied, environmental reports, fundraising, contracting with builders and vendors, more public meetings where there will be more public input. But the city is pointed in the right direction, according to its mayor.

"The idea of being able to get from here to downtown and if you build it, they will come: I hope that will work for us," said Zorn.

Story by Tony Hicks, Bay City News.

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